Artemis A Artemis Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. In the classical period of Greek mythology , Artemis (Greek: (nominative) Ἄρτεμις, (genitive) Ἀρτέμιδος) was often described as the daughter of Zeus and Leto , and the twin sister of Apollo . She was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, child birth, virginity, fertility, the hunt, and often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. The deer and the cypress were sacred to her. In later Hellenistic times, she even assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth. Artemis later became identified with Selene , a Titaness who was a Greek moon goddess, sometimes depicted with a crescent moon above her head. She was also identified with the Roman goddess Diana, with the Etruscan goddess Artume, and with the Greek or Carian goddess Hecate .

Etymology A hypothesis connects Artemis to the Proto-Indo-European root h₂ŕ̥tḱos meaning "bear" due to her cultic practices in Brauronia and the Neolithic remains at the Arkouditessa. Birth Various conflicting accounts are given in Classical Greek mythology of the birth of Artemis and her twin brother, Apollo. All accounts agree, however, that she was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and that she was the twin sister of Apollo. An account by Callimachus has it that Hera forbade Leto to give birth on either terra firma (the mainland) or on an island. Hera was angry with Zeus, her husband, because he had impregnated Leto. But the island of Delos (or Ortygia in the Homeric Hymn to Artemis) disobeyed Hera, and Leto gave birth there. A scholium of Servius on Aeneid iii.

72 accounts for the island's archaic name Ortygia by asserting that Zeus transformed Leto into a quail (ortux) in order to prevent Hera from finding out his infidelity, and Kenneth McLeish suggested further that in quail form Leto would have given birth with as few birth-pains as a mother quail suffers when it lays an egg. The myths also differ as to whether Artemis was born first, or Apollo. Most stories depict Artemis as born first, becoming her mother's mid-wife upon the birth of her brother Apollo. Childhood The childhood of Artemis is not embodied in any surviving myth: the Iliad reduced the figure of the dread goddess, making her a girl, who, having been thrashed by Hera , climbs weeping into the lap of Zeus. A poem of Callimachus – the goddess "who amuses herself on mountains with archery" – imagines some charming vignettes: at three years old, Artemis asked her father, Zeus, while sitting on his knee, to grant her six wishes. Her first wish was to remain chaste for eternity, and never to be confined by marriage.

She then asked for lop-eared hounds, stags to lead her chariot, and nymphs to be her hunting companions, 60 from the river and 20 from the ocean. Also, she asked for a silver bow like her brother Apollo. He granted her the six wishes. All of her companions remained virgins and Artemis guarded her own chastity closely. Her symbol was the silver bow and arrow. Other myths about Artemis Artemis and Actaeon She was once bathing in a vale on Mount Cithaeron, when the Theban prince and hunter Actaeon stumbled across her. One version of this story says that Actaeon hid in the bushes and spied on her as she continued to bathe; she was enraged to discover the spy and turned him into a stag which was pursued and killed by his own hounds. Alternatively, another version states that Actaeon boasted that he was a better hunter than she and Artemis turned him into a stag and he was eaten by his hounds.

Artemis and Adonis In some versions of the story of Adonis , who was a late addition to Greek mythology during the Hellenistic period, Artemis sent a wild boar to kill Adonis as punishment for his hubristic boast that he was a better hunter than she. In other versions, Artemis killed Adonis for revenge. In later myths, Adonis had been related as a favorite of Aphrodite , and Aphrodite was responsible for the death of Hippolytus, who had been a favorite of Artemis. Therefore, Artemis killed Adonis to avenge Hippolytus’s death. Orion Orion was a hunting companion of the goddess Artemis. In some versions of his story he was killed by Artemis, while in others he was killed by a scorpion sent by Gaia. In some versions, Orion tried to seduce Opis, one of her followers, and she killed him. In a version by Aratus, Orion took hold of Artemis' robe and she killed him in self-defense . In yet another version, Apollo sent the scorpion.

According to Hyginus Artemis once loved Orion (in spite of the late source, this version appears to be a rare remnant of her as the pre-Olympian goddess, who took consorts, as Eos did), but was tricked into killing him by her brother Apollo, who was "protective" of his sister's maidenhood. Other stories Callisto She was the daughter of Lycaon, King of Arcadia and also was one of Artemis's hunting attendants. As a companion of Artemis, Callisto took a vow of chastity. Zeus appeared to her disguised as Artemis, or in some stories Apollo, gained her confidence, then took advantage of her (or raped her, according to Ovid ). As a result of this encounter she conceived a son, Arcas. Enraged, Hera or Artemis (some accounts say both) changed her into a bear. Arcas almost killed the bear, but Zeus stopped him just in time. Out of pity, Zeus placed Callisto the bear into the heavens, thus the origin of Callisto the Bear as a constellation.

Some stories say that he placed both Arcas and Callisto into the heavens as bears, forming the Ursa Minor and Ursa Major constellations. Iphigenia and the Taurian Artemis Artemis punished Agamemnon after he killed a sacred stag in a sacred grove and boasted that he was a better hunter. When the Greek fleet was preparing at Aulis to depart for Troy to begin the Trojan War , Artemis becalmed the winds. The seer Calchis advised Agamemnon that the only way to appease Artemis was to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia . Artemis then snatches Iphigenia from the altar and substitutes a deer. Niobe A Queen of Thebes and wife of Amphion, Niobe boasted of her superiority to Leto because while she had fourteen children (Niobids), seven boys and seven girls, Leto had only one of each. When Artemis and Apollo heard this impiety, Apollo killed her sons as they practiced athletics, and Artemis shot her daughters, who died instantly without a sound. Apollo and Artemis used poisoned arrows to kill them, though according to some versions two of the Niobids were spared, one boy and one girl.

Amphion, at the sight of his dead sons, killed himself. A devastated Niobe and her remaining children were turned to stone by Artemis as they wept. Some myths say that their tears, which still flowed from their stone eyes, formed the river Achelous. The gods themselves entombed them. Otus and Ephialtes The Gigantes Otus and Ephialtes were sons of Poseidon . They were so strong that nothing could harm them. One night, as they slept, Gaia whispered to them, that since they were so strong, they should be the rulers of Olympus. They built a mountain as tall as Mt. Olympus, and then demanded that the gods surrender, and that Artemis and Hera become their wives. The gods fought back, but couldn't harm them. The sons even managed to kidnap Ares and hold him in a jar for thirteen months. Artemis later changed herself into a deer and ran between them. The Aloadae, not wanting her to get away because they were eager huntsmen, each threw their javelin and simultaneously killed each other.

The Meleagrids After the death of Meleager, Artemis turned her grieving sisters, the Meleagrids into guineafowl that Artemis loved very much. Chione Artemis killed Chione for becoming too proud and vain after having an affair with Apollo at his request. Atalanta and Oeneus Artemis saved the infant Atalanta from dying of exposure after her father abandoned her. She sent a female bear to suckle the baby, who was then raised by hunters. But she later sent a bear to hurt Atalanta because people said Atalanta was a better hunter. This is in some stories. Among other adventures, Atalanta participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar, which Artemis had sent to destroy Calydon because King Oeneus had forgotten her at the harvest sacrifices. In the hunt, Atalanta drew the first blood, and was awarded the prize of the skin. She hung it in a sacred grove at Tegea as a dedication to Artemis. Trojan War Artemis may have been represented as a supporter of Troy because her brother Apollo was the patron god of the city and she herself was widely worshipped in western Anatolia in historical time.

In the Iliad she came to blows with Hera, when the divine allies of the Greeks and Trojans engaged each other in conflict. Hera struck Artemis on the ears with her own quiver, causing the arrows to fall out. As Artemis fled crying to Zeus, Leto gathered up the bow and arrows which had fallen out of the quiver. Worship of Artemis Artemis, the goddess of forests and hills, was worshipped throughout ancient Greece.. Her best known cults were on the island of Delos (her birthplace); in Attica at Brauron and Mounikhia (near Piraeus); in Sparta . She was often depicted in paintings and statues in a forest setting, carrying a bow and arrows, and accompanied by a deer. As Aeginaea, she was worshiped in Sparta; the name means either huntress of chamois , or the wielder of the javelin (αιγανέα). She was worshipped at Naupactus as Aetole; in her temple in that town there was a statue of white marble representing her throwing a javelin.

This "Aetolian Artemis" would not have been introduced at Naupactus, anciently a place of Ozolian Locris, until it was awarded to the Aetolians by Philip II of Macedon . Strabo records another precinct of "Aetolian Artemos" at the head of the Adriatic . As Agoraea she was the protector of the agora . As Agrotera, she was especially associated as the patron goddess of hunters. In Elis she was worshiped as Alphaea. In Athens Artemis was often associated with the local Aeginian goddess, Aphaea. As Potnia Theron, she was the patron of wild animals; Homer used this title. As Kourotrophos, she was the nurse of youths. As Locheia, she was the goddess of childbirth and midwives. She was sometimes known as Cynthia, from her birthplace on Mount Cynthus on Delos, or Amarynthia from a festival in her honor originally held at Amarynthus in Euboea. She was sometimes identified by the name Phoebe, the feminine form of her brother Apollo's solar epithet Phoebus .

The ancient Spartans used to sacrifice to her as one of their patron goddesses before starting a new military campaign . Athenian festivals in honor of Artemis included Elaphebolia, Mounikhia, Kharisteria, and Brauronia. The festival of Artemis Orthia was observed in Sparta. Pre-pubescent Athenian girls and young Athenian girls approaching marriageable age were sent to the sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron to serve the Goddess for one year. During this time the girls were known as arktoi, or little she-bears. A myth explaining this servitude relates that a bear had formed the habit of regularly visiting the town of Brauron, and the people there fed it, so that over time the bear became tame. A young girl teased the bear, and, in some versions of the myth it killed her, while in other versions it clawed her eyes out. Either way, the girl's brothers killed the bear, and Artemis was enraged. She demanded that young girls "act the bear" at her sanctuary in atonement for the bear's death.

Virginal Artemis was worshipped as a fertility/childbirth goddess in some places, assimilating Ilithyia, since, according to some myths, she assisted her mother in the delivery of her twin. During the Classical period in Athens , she was identified with Hecate. Artemis also assimilated Caryatis (Carya). Artemis in art The oldest representations of Artemis in Greek Archaic art portray her as Potnia Theron ("Queen of the Beasts"): a winged goddess holding a stag and leopard in her hands, or sometimes a leopard and a lion. This winged Artemis lingered in ex-votos as Artemis Orthia, with a sanctuary close by Sparta. In Greek classical art she is usually portrayed as a maiden huntress clothed in a girl's short skirt, with hunting boots, a quiver, a bow and arrows. Often she is shown in the shooting pose, and is accompanied by a hunting dog or stag. Her darker side is revealed in some vase paintings, where she is shown as the death-bringing goddess whose arrows fell young maidens and women, such as the daughters of Niobe.

The attributes of the goddess were often varied: bow and arrows were sometimes replaced by hunting spears; as a goddess of maiden dances she held a lyre ; as a goddess of light a pair of flaming torches. Only in post-Classical art do we find representations of Artemis-Diana with the crown of the crescent moon, as Luna. In the ancient world, although she was occasionally associated with the moon, she was never portrayed as the moon itself. Ancient statues of Artemis have been found with crescent moons, but these moons are always Renaissance-era additions. On June 7, 2007, a Roman era bronze sculpture of “Artemis and the Stag” was sold at Sotheby’s auction house in New York state by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery for $25.5 million. Artemis as the Lady of Ephesus At Ephesus in Ionia (Turkey), her temple became one of the Seven Wonders of the World . It was probably the best known center of her worship except for Delos.

There the Lady whom the Ionians associated with Artemis through interpretatio Graeca was worshiped primarily as a mother goddess, akin to the Phrygian goddess Cybele , in an ancient sanctuary where her cult image depicted the "Lady of Ephesus" adorned with multiple rounded breast like protuberances on her chest. They had been traditionally interpreted as multiple accessory breasts, or as sacrificed bull testes, as some newer scholars claimed, until excavation at the site of the Artemision in 1987-88 identified the multitude of tear-shaped amber beads that had adorned her ancient wooden xoanon. In Acts of the Apostles , Ephesian metalsmiths who felt threatened by Saint Paul's preaching of Christianity, jealously rioted in her defense, shouting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Only one of 121 columns still stand in Ephesus. The rest were used for making churches, roads, and forts. Artemis in astronomy A minor planet , (105) Artemis; a lunar crater; the Artemis Chasma and the Artemis Corona (both on Venus) have all been named for her.

As Selene she is associated with the Moon, and as Phoebe her name was borrowed for a moon of Saturn . (Wikipedia) Artemis • Facts and Information on Greek Goddess Artemis Artemis Greek Goddess of the Hunt, Forests and Hills, the Moon, Archery Artemis is known as the goddess of the hunt and is one of the most respected of all the ancient Greek deities. It is thought that her name, and even the goddess herself, may even be pre-Greek. She was the daughter of Zeus , king of the gods, and the Titaness Leto and she has a twin brother, the god Apollo . Not only was Artemis the goddess of the hunt, she was also known as the goddess of wild animals, wilderness, childbirth and virginity. Also, she was protector of young children and was know to bring and relieve disease in women. In literature and art she was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrow. Artemis was a virgin and drew the attention and interest of many gods and men. However, it was only her hunting companion, Orion, that won her heart. It is believed that Orion was accidentally killed either by Artemis herself or by Gaia, the primordial goddess of the earth.

In one version of the stories of Adonis – who was a late addition to Greek mythology during the Hellenistic period – Artemis sent a wild boar to kill Adonis after he continued to boast that he was a far greater hunter than her. Facts about Artemis Artemis was daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. According to one source, Artemis was born a day before Apollo. She then served as a guardian to him, which provided a context for her desire to protect and nurture. She was primarily a virgin huntress, goddess of wildlife and patroness of hunters. The bear was sacred to her. She guarded her virginity carefully. Actaeon and Orion tried to dishonor or rape her, but anyone who threatened her purity met with a violent end. She was an important goddess in the lives of women, especially when it came to marriage and young creatures. When one of her nymphs was seduced by Zeus, Artemis transformed her into a bear and then killed her. She was sometimes associated with the goddess of the moon. Artemis acted out in anger whenever her wishes were disobeyed, especially if anyone transgressed against the animals that were sacred to her.

She punished Agamemnon, for example, when he killed a stag in her sacred grove. Artemis appealed to Zeus to grant her eternal virginity. Apollo and Artemis teamed up to kill the children of Niobe. Niobe bragged that she had birthed more children than Leto (the mother of Apollo and Artemis). The twins then hunted her children and killed them with their bows and arrows. Artemis was worshipped widely in Greece but only as a secondary deity. A temple built in her honor became one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.” At least two festivals were celebrated in her honor of Artemis: Brauronia and the festival of Artemis Orthia. Homer referred to her as a mistress of wild animals. Artemis spent most of her time roaming the forests with her nymphs. She was described as both hunting animals and protecting them. She armed herself with a bow and arrows made by Hephaestus and Cyclops. In art, Artemis is often accompanied by a stag or hunting dog. She is the protector of chastity and a nurturer of the young.

Link/cite this page If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content. <a href="">Artemis: - Greek Gods & Goddesses, September 19, 2014 Link will appear as Artemis: - Greek Gods & Goddesses, September 19, 2014 Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt, Forests and Hills, the Moon, Archery ARTEMIS FACTS Artemis - Witchipedia Witchipedia Home » Start » Book Of Shadows » Pagan Lore » Hellenic Lore » Greek Gods And Goddesses » Artemis In Hellenic Lore , ''Artemis'' was the daughter of Zeus and Leto , and the twin sister of Apollo . She was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, virginity/fertility, and the hunt and was often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. The deer and the cypress were sacred to her. In later Hellenic times she occasionally assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth and in Roman times she came to be identified with Diana .

It is said that Artemis helped her mother Leto birth Apollo immediately after her own birth. Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the gods and one of the oldest (Burkert 1985, 149). Her later association with the moon is a popular idea which has little foundation but may be related to her association with Diana during the Roman period. By extension, She became identified with Selene a Titan ess who was a Greek moon goddess, and she was sometimes depicted with a crescent moon above her head. She was also associated with the Etruscan goddess Artume . See Also Etymology There may be some connection with the Greek word artemes which can be translated as "safe" or "uninjured" however there may also be a connection with the word artamos which means "a butcher".

The name Artemis is very similar to various Prot-Indo-European names which mean "Bear", such as Arthur, Ardal, Arturo, Auberon, and the ancient Greek word "arktos", but various variations, such as Artemas, meaning "follower" and Artemesia meaning "Perfect" don't bear out this speculation, though the meanings of these names have likely changed over time. Origins Artemis is said to be the daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister to Apollo, God of Enlightemenment. However, Artemis and Apollo were both firmly established deities in the area long before the arrival of Zeus. This is another case of the conquering God being married off to or otherwise identified with the existing Gods and Goddesses to justify His rule (and that of His subjects) over those who were there before. Artemis was born on the sixth day of the month and immediately assisted her mother in bearing her brother Apollo, who was born a day later. The worship of Apollo and Artemis is believed to have come from the Hyperboreans. An account by Callimachus has it that Hera forbade Leto to give birth on either terra firma (the mainland) or on an island.

Hera was angry with Zeus, her husband, because he had impregnated Leto. But the island of Delos (or Ortygia in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo ) received her so Leto was able to birth her twins there and Delos was therafter sacred to them. Most (but all) myths agree that Artemis was born first and some say she immediately turned to assist her mother with the birth of Apollo. Another story has Artemis and Apollo born to Demeter by Poseidon. It actually makes sense for Artemis to be the child of Poseidon than Zeus since her companions are Oceanids and her curse on Agammemnon resulted in the delay of the Trojan war due to the inability of a fleet to sail. However, this story isn't oft repeated and whomever Her father may be (it being of no real consequence anyway) Leto is pretty firmly in place as Her mother. Nature and Personality Artemis and Apollo both ruled over healing, but also over plague and sudden death. Artemis was both a protector of small children and women in childbirth and credited with the death of women in childbirth. Likewise, she was both a huntress and the protectress of the woodland creatures.

According to legend, Artemis asked Zeus, and was granted, the privilege of remaining unmarried and though she had many companions, did not seek out or accept the touch of any male, mortal or God. In addition to her chastity, Artemis was granted four stags with golden horns to draw her chariot, and lop-eared hounds, gifted to her by Pan and nymphs, the daughters of Oceanus , to be her companions and a silver bow and arrows made by Hephaestus which is often associated with the crescent moon. Folklore implies that she expected all of her followers to also remain chaste. History implies also that her Priests and Priestesses took vows of chastity and were severely punished if these were broken. Myths of Artemis Artemis and Actaeon She was once bathing in a vale on Mount Cithaeron, when the Theban prince and hunter Actaeon stumbled across her. One version of this story says that Actaeon hid in the bushes and spied on her as she continued to bathe; she was enraged to discover the spy, and turned him into a stag which was pursued and killed by his own hounds.

Alternatively, Actaeon boasted that he was a better hunter than she and Artemis turned him into a stag and he was eaten by his hounds. Artemis and Adonis In some versions of the story of Adonis , Artemis sent a boar to kill Adonis as punishment for his hubristic boast that he was a better hunter than she. In other versions, Artemis killed him for revenge. Adonis had been a favorite of Aphrodite , and Aphrodite was responsible for the death of Hippolytus, who had been a favorite of Artemis. Therefore Artemis killed Adonis to avenge Hippolytus’s death. Other sources place the responsibility for the death of Adonis on the shoulders of a jealous Ares . Orion The story of Orion says that he was a hunter. In some versions he was a companion to Artemis who was seduced by Selene , the Goddess of the Moon. Furious that Orion had betrayed his chastity, she sent a scorpion to kill him. Selene then put Orion and the scorpion into the sky- thus we have the two constellations and Orion's dog, Sirius, the Dog Star.

Another story that resulted in the same constellation says that Gaia sent a scorpion to kill him because he was such a good hunter he endangered the balance of nature. Yet another version says that Orion tried to rape Artemis or one of her maidens and thus received his fate. Yet another version says that Artemis fell in love with Orion and her brother Apollo tricked her into killing him, so as to protect her maidenhood. Callisto One of Artemis's companions, a nymph by the name of Callisto, fell prey to the wiles of the mighty Zeus. Zeus had come to her with Artemis's form. When the girl could no longer hide her pregnancy, she confessed and Artemis turned her into a bear. Her son was Arcas and while hunting as a young man, he came upon the bear that was his mother and nearly killed her, but Artemis (or Zeus) stopped him and Callisto was then put into the sky as a constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, also known as the Plough. Some versions say that Arcas was also put into the sky at this time (Ursa Minor) but he has more story of his own.

Iphigenia and the Taurian Artemis Artemis punished Agamemnon after he killed a sacred stag in a sacred grove and boasted that he was a better hunter. When the Greek fleet was preparing at Aulis to depart for Troy to begin the Trojan War, Artemis becalmed the winds. The seer Calchis advised Agamemnon that the only way to appease Artemis was to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. Some accounts say that Artemis rescued Iphigenia at the last minute, secreting her away to serve in her temple, and replaced her with a deer. Niobe A Queen of Thebes and wife of Amphion, Niobe boasted of her superiority to Leto because while she had fourteen children (the Niobids), seven boys and seven girls, Leto had only one of each. When Artemis and Apollo heard this impiety, Apollo killed her sons as they practiced athletics, and Artemis shot her daughters, who died instantly without a sound. Apollo and Artemis used poisoned arrows to kill them, though according to some versions two of the Niobids were spared, one boy and one girl. Amphion, at the sight of his dead sons, killed himself.

A devastated Niobe and her remaining children were turned to stone by Artemis as they wept. Some myths say that their tears, which still flowed from their stone eyes, formed the river Achelous. Otus and Ephialtes The Gigantes Otus and Ephialtes were sons of Poseidon . They were so strong that nothing could harm them. One night, as they slept, Gaia whispered to them, that since they were so strong, they should be the rulers of Olympus. They built a mountain as tall as [[Mount Olympus]], and then demanded that the gods surrender, and that Artemis and Hera become their wives. The gods fought back, but couldn't harm them. The Gigantes even managed to kidnap Ares and hold him in a jar for thirteen months. Artemis later changed herself into a deer and ran between them. The Aloadae, not wanting her to get away because they were eager huntsmen, each threw their javelin and simultaneously killed each other. The Meleagrids After the death of Meleager, Artemis turned his grieving sisters, the Meleagrids into guineafowl which she made pets of and loved very much.

Chione Artemis killed Chione for being too self-satisfied about her affair with Apollo. Atalanta and Oeneus Artemis saved the infant Atalanta from dying of exposure after her father abandoned her. She sent a female bear to suckle the baby, who was then raised by hunters. But she later sent a bear to hurt Atalanta because people said Atalanta was a better hunter than Artemis. Among other adventures, Atalanta participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar, which Artemis had sent to destroy Calydon because King Oeneus had forgotten her at the harvest sacrifices. In the hunt, Atalanta drew the first blood, and was awarded the prize of the skin. She hung it in a sacred grove at Tegea as a dedication to Artemis. Trojan War Apollo was the patron god of the city of Troy and Artemis worshiped in western Anatolia in historical time. In the Iliad she came to blows with Hera, when the divine allies of the Greeks and Trojans engaged each other in conflict. Hera struck Artemis on the ears with her own quiver, causing the arrows to fall out.

As Artemis fled crying to Zeus, Leto gathered up the bow and arrows which had fallen out of the quiver. Ancient Worship of Artemis Artemis, the goddess of forests and hills, was worshiped throughout ancient Greece. Her best known cults were on the island of Delos (her birthplace); in Attica at Brauron and Mounikhia (near Piraeus); in Sparta. She was often depicted in paintings and statues in a forest setting, carrying a bow and arrows, and accompanied by a deer. The ancient Spartans used to sacrifice to her as one of their patron goddesses before starting a new military campaign. Athenian festivals in honor of Artemis included Elaphebolia , Mounikhia , Kharisteria , and Brauronia . The festival of Artemis Orthia was observed in Sparta. Pre-pubescent Athenian girls and young Athenian girls approaching marriageable age were sent to the sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron to serve the Goddess for one year. During this time the girls were known as ''arktoi'', or little she-bears.

A myth explaining this servitude relates that a bear had formed the habit of regularly visiting the town of Brauron, and the people there fed it, so that over time the bear became tame. A young girl teased the bear, and, in some versions of the myth it killed her, while in other versions it clawed her eyes out. Either way, the girl's brothers killed the bear, and Artemis was enraged. She demanded that young girls "act the bear" at her sanctuary in atonement for the bear's death. Virginal Artemis was worshiped as a fertility/childbirth goddess in some places, assimilating Ilithyia , since, according to some myths, she assisted her mother in the delivery of her twin. During the Classical period in Athens, she was identified with Hecate . Artemis also assimilated Caryatis ( Carya ). Symbols and Associations Artemis represents the unpredictable nature of, well, Nature, and the wilderness. Those who embark upon a hunting trip are at Her mercy. Will She bless you with a good kill? Will She amuse Herself by leaving you wandering lost for days? Or will She visit tragedy upon you and your party?

It's all up to Her whim, for She is the embodiment of all that is Wild. Children are beloved of Her while they are still wild and She protects young girls until they have given up their maidenhood. Artemis is also the Goddess of the nymphs, all the delicate spirits of Nature and at Her command will they rise up against those who abuse them- but mostly they dance and hunt and enjoy themselves.

Sacred Plants: All Artemesias, cypress , bay laurel Sacred Places: All wild places Sacred Objects: Bow and arrow, herbs, antlers Protectress of: Wilderness areas, hunters, children, young girls, women in childbirth, women's fertility, female athletes Epithets: Agrotera- Patron of hunters (and also warriors), Potnia Theron, Mistress of the Animals, Kourotropos- nurse of youths, Locheia- goddess of childbirth and midwives, Cynthia- From Mounth Cynthus on Delos, Amarynthia after her festival Amarythus, Phoebe- Shining one, feminine of Apollo's epithet Pheobus, Parthenos Iokheaira- the virgin who delights in arrows, Hekatebolon- far shooter (also shared with Apollo), Sacred Days- The 6th of the Month (Artemis was born on the 6th day of the month) Astrological Sign- Cancer Artemis in astronomy A minor planet, (105) Artemis; a lunar crater; the Artemis Chasma and the Artemis Corona (both on Venus) have all been named for her.

References Panpipes Magickal Marketplace Wiccan Statues Diana H: 10-1/4" Diana was the goddess of the hunt, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and also of the moon in Roman mythology. In literature she was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis, though in cult beliefs she was Italic, not Greek, in origin. Diana was worshiped in ancient Roman religion and is currently revered in Roman Neopaganism and Stregheria. Dianic Wicca, a largely feminist form of the practice, is named for her. Diana was known to be the virgin goddess and looked after virgins and women. Along with her main attributes, Diana was an emblem of chastity. Oak groves were especially sacred to her. $87.00 Apollo, is one of the most important and diverse of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology. The ideal of the kouros (a beardless youth), Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more.

As the patron of Delphi (Pythian Apollo), Apollo was an oracular god — the prophetic deity of the Delphic Oracle. Medicine and healing were associated with Apollo, whether through the god himself or mediated through his son Asclepius. As the leader of the Muses and director of their choir, Apollo functioned as the patron god of music and poetry. $87.00 Bacchus H: 10" Dionysus or Dionysos is the Ancient Greek god of wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, and a major figure of Greek mythology. He is included as one of the twelve Olympians in some lists. Dionysus is typical of the god of the epiphany, "the god that comes". He was also known as Bacchus, the name adopted by the Romans and the frenzy he induces, bakkheia. He is the patron deity of agriculture and the theater. He was also known as the Liberator (Eleutherios), freeing one from one's normal self, by madness, ecstasy or wine. The divine mission of Dionysus was to mingle the music of the aulos and to bring an end to care and worry.

$50.00 Dionysus or Dionysos is the Ancient Greek god of wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, and a major figure of Greek mythology. He is included as one of the twelve Olympians in some lists. Dionysus is typical of the god of the epiphany, "the god that comes". He was also known as Bacchus, the name adopted by the Romans and the frenzy he induces , bakkheia. He is the patron deity of agriculture and the theater. He was also known as the Liberator (Eleutherios), freeing one from one's normal self, by madness, ecstasy or wine. The divine mission of Dionysus was to mingle the music of the aulos and to bring an end to care and worry. $90.00 Goddess & Forest - BexLife by Rebekah Borucki BexLife by Rebekah Borucki Meditation for Beginners, Natural Anxiety Remedies, Vegan Recipes and Nutrition, and Yoga Tutorials Primary Menu Find relief from anxiety and go from panic to peace in just 4 minutes! Access my FREE 4-Minute Anxiety Workshop interactive workbook right now.

First Name* This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This iframe contains the logic required to handle AJAX powered Gravity Forms. Goddess & Forest Our wedding theme is very much a mixture of regal and rustic, goddess and forest. For me, this conjures images of Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt. From Wikipedia : In Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, virginity/fertility, and the hunt and was often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. The deer and the cypress were sacred to her. In later Hellenistic times she even assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth. Greek Goddess Artemis: by Princess of Flames Lovely and magical. Artemis Artemis by Ron Leadbetter The daughter of Leto and Zeus , and the twin of Apollo . Artemis is the goddess of the wilderness, the hunt and wild animals, and fertility (she became a goddess of fertility and childbirth mainly in cities).

She was often depicted with the crescent of the moon above her forehead and was sometimes identified with Selene (goddess of the moon). Artemis was one of the Olympians and a virgin goddess. Her main vocation was to roam mountain forests and uncultivated land with her nymphs in attendance hunting for lions, panthers, hinds and stags. Contradictory to the later, she helped in protecting and seeing to their well-being, also their safety and reproduction. She was armed with a bow and arrows which were made by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes . In one legend, Artemis was born one day before her brother Apollo. Her mother gave birth to her on the island of Ortygia, then, almost immediately after her birth, she helped her mother to cross the straits over to Delos, where she then delivered Apollo. This was the beginning of her role as guardian of young children and patron of women in childbirth. Being a goddess of contradictions, she was the protectress of women in labor, but it was said that the arrows of Artemis brought them sudden death while giving birth.

As was her brother, Apollo, Artemis was a divinity of healing, but also brought and spread diseases such as leprosy, rabies and even gout. Being associated with chastity, Artemis at an early age (in one legend she was three years old) asked her father, the great god Zeus, to grant her eternal virginity. Also, all her companions were virgins. Artemis was very protective of her purity, and gave grave punishment to any man who attempted to dishonor her in any form. Actaeon , while out hunting, accidentally came upon Artemis and her nymphs, who bathing naked in a secluded pool. Seeing them in all their naked beauty, the stunned Actaeon stopped and gazed at them, but when Artemis saw him ogling them, she transformed him into a stag. Then, incensed with disgust, she set his own hounds upon him. They chased and killed what they thought was another stag, but it was their master. As with Orion , a giant and a great hunter, there are several legends which tell of his death, one involving Artemis. It is said that he tried to rape the virgin goddess, so killed him with her bow and arrows.

Another says she conjured up a scorpion which killed Orion and his dog. Orion became a constellation in the night sky, and his dog became Sirius, the dog star. Yet another version says it was the scorpion which stung him and was transformed into the constellation with Orion, the later being Scorpio. Artemis was enraged when one of her nymphs, Callisto , allowed Zeus to seduce her, but the great god approached her in one of his guises; he came in the form of Artemis. The young nymph was unwittingly tricked, and she gave birth to Arcas , the ancestor of the Arcadians, but Artemis showed no mercy and changed her into a bear. She then shot and killed her. As Orion, she was sent up to the heavens, and became the constellation of the Great Bear (which is also known as the Plough). Artemis was very possessive. She would show her wrath on anyone who disobeyed her wishes, especially against her sacred animals. Even the great hero Agamemnon came upon the wrath of Artemis, when he killed a stag in her sacred grove. His punishment came when his ships were becalmed, while he made his way to besiege Troy.

With no winds to sail his ships he was told by the seer Calchas that the only way Artemis would bring back the winds was for him to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia . Some versions say he did sacrifice Iphigenia, others that Artemis exchanged a deer in her place, and took Iphigenia to the land of the Tauri (the Crimea) as a priestess, to prepare strangers for sacrifice to Artemis. Artemis with her twin brother, Apollo, put to death the children of Niobe . The reason being that Niobe, a mere mortal, had boasted to Leto, the mother of the divine twins, that she had bore more children, which must make her superior to Leto. Apollo being outraged at such an insult on his mother, informed Artemis. The twin gods hunted them down and shot them with their bows and arrows; Apollo killed the male children and Artemis the girls. Artemis was worshiped in most Greek cities but only as a secondary deity. However, to the Greeks in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) she was a prominent deity.

In Ephesus, a principal city of Asia Minor, a great temple was built in her honor, which became one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World". But at Ephesus she was worshiped mainly as a fertility goddess, and was identified with Cybele the mother goddess of eastern lands. The cult statues of the Ephesian Artemis differ greatly from those of mainland Greece, whereas she is depicted as a huntress with her bow and arrows. Those found at Ephesus show her in the eastern style, standing erect with numerous nodes on her chest. There have been many theories as to what they represent. Some say they are breasts, others that they are bulls testes which were sacrificed to her. Which is the true interpretation remains uncertain, but each represent fertility. There were festivals in honor of Artemis, such as the Brauronia, which was held in Brauron; and the festival of Artemis Orthia, held at Sparta, when young Spartan boys would try to steal cheeses from the altar. As they tried they would be whipped, the meaning of Orthia and the nature of the ritual whipping has been lost and there is no logical explanation or translation.

Among the epithets given to Artemis are: Potnia Theron (mistress of wild animals) this title was mentioned by the great poet Homer; Kourotrophos (nurse of youth's); Locheia (helper in childbirth); Agrotera (huntress); and Cynthia (taken from her birthplace on Mount Cynthus on Delos). When young girls reached puberty they were initiated into her cult, but when they decided to marry, which Artemis was not against, they were asked to lay in front of the altar all the paraphernalia of their virginity, toys, dolls and locks of their hair, they then left the domain of the virgin goddess. Article details: Artemis Knowledge Base > History > History Artemis Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. She was the Hellenic goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and protector of young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women; she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. Graduate of Fordham Gabelli School of Business. Splitting time between New York and Russia. Interested in economic forecasting and 19th century Romanticism.

Curated Facts There are various theories concerning the origin of Artemis and her introduction into Greece: some see her as an original prehistoric goddess of hunting, while others believe her to originate in either Anatolia or Crete. Scholars have sough Artemis' origin in various periods and cultures. × Amazon Results Artemis is at first sight a puzzling figure in Greek mythology.On the one hand we meet the young virgin of the chase and the forest, Hellenic Artemis Agrotera, vowed to perpetual chastity and filled with loathing for sex even when it is exercised within the marriage bond for the propagation of the human species. No less indubitably, however, there stands before us an Artemis ripe for motherhood, a fertility goddess from Asia Minor with her main cult centre at the Greek city of Ephesus. × Amazon Results The Goddess Diana was the Roman counterpart of the Greek virgin goddess Artemis, daughter of the god Zeus and Leto, daughter of a Titan. [...] Diana, like the Greek Artemis, with whom she was constantly identified, may be described as a goddess of nature in general and of fertility in particular. She was especially revered by women, and was believed to grant an easy childbirth to her favourites.

Article: Diana, goddess of the moo... The Greek Goddess Artemis also played a part on the Trojan war, she took the side of the Trojans, and during the journey of the Greeks to Troy, she stopped their journey becalming the sea. They were able to start the travel until an Oracle said that they could make Artemis happy with the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter, Iphigenia. Article: GREEK GODDESS ARTEMIS Being associated with chastity, Artemis at an early age asked her father Zeus to grant her eternal virginity. Also, all her companions were virgins. Artemis was very protective of her purity, and gave grave punishment to any man who attempted to dishonor her in any form. Article: The Mythology of Artemis,... Despite the hunting, ARTEMIS cares deeply for animals. But she has little respect for human males. When a prowling peeper called Acteon caught sight of her bathing naked in a pool, she hounded him to death with his own hounds. Then the Great Hunter ORION (who was up to much the same thing) got belted into oblivion with the aid of a large scorpion.

We are not sure how, as eyewitnesses are understandably reluctant to come forward. Article: ARTEMISAlso known as AGRO... Perhaps the most glorious tribute to Artemis was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. The temple was so magnificent it was listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. [...] The temple was utterly destroyed in 356 BCE when a man named Herostratus set fire to the wooden roof. The heat from the flames was so intense that the building, although mostly constructed of marble, was ruined. Herostratus is reputed to have arrogantly boasted that the men who built the temple would be forgotten but he would always be remembered as the man who destroyed it. Article: Artemis: The Virgin Godde... Artemis - Goddess of the Night and the Hunt. - Greek Goddess Artemis - Goddess of the Night and the Hunt. - Greek Goddess. Artemis is the Goddess of the hunt wild animals wilderness childbirth virginity and protector of young girls bringing and relieving disease in women. Artemis - Goddess of the Night and the Hunt.

- Greek Goddess Per-Ankh Feed Friday, 20 January 2017 Home ï¿½ Divinity of the Day ï¿½ Greek Gods and Goddesses ï¿½ Artemis - Goddess of the Night and the Hunt. Artemis - Goddess of the Night and the Hunt. Artemis is the Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and protector of young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women. She often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. Artemis was worshipped throughout Greece, particularly at Delos, her birthplace, Brauron in Attica and Mounikhia in Sparta. --~Attributes and Correspondences~-- Hunting, Animals, Wilderness, Childbirth, Virginity, Night Pantheon: Goddess of Misery and Sadness. Goddess Hellenistic god of cyclical or unbounded time God Goddess of Love and Beauty Goddess Goddess of the Night and the Hunt. Goddess Goddess of Wisdom, War, Art, Industry, Justice, and Skill. Goddess God of the north wind. God Goddess of Aeaea and magic.

Goddess Goddess of Corn, Grain, and the Harvest. Goddess God of Wine, Agriculture, and Fertility of Nature. God Goddess of Childbirth and Midwifery. Goddess Goddess of Discord and Strife. Goddess God of the East Wind. God Moon Goodess and the Underworld Goddess God of Smiths and Fire. God Goddess of Marriage and Birth Goddess God of Riches, Trade, and Luck. God Goddess of Hearth Fire and Domestic Life. Goddess God of Chaos and disorder. God God of Dreams and Dreaming. God God of the South Wind. God God of the World Ocean. God Goddess of Persuasion and Seduction. Goddess Goddess of moderation and self-control. Goddess Goddess of choral song and dancing. Goddess God of the West Wind. God Ruler of all the Gods.

God The Witches God - Janet and Stewart Farrar The Witches Goddess - Janet and Stewart Farrar A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses - George Hart Celtic Goddesses - Miranda Green Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia - Jeremy Black and Anthony Green Maori Religion and Mythology - Edward Shortland The Greek Myths - Robert Graves Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines, 2-Volume Set - Patricia Monaghan Asgard and the Gods: The Tales and Traditions of Our Northern Ancestors - Wilhelm Wï¿½gner Macdovvall The Mythology of all Races - Vol 1-12 - Louis H Gray The Ancient Gods Speak - Edited by Donald B Redford The Pyramid Texts - Faulkner Aradia, Gospel of the Witches - Charles G. Leland Myths of the Norsemen From the Eddas and Sagas - H. A. Guerber The Theogony of Hesiod - translated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White 1914 Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities, 2-Volume Set - Charles Russell Coulter and Patricia Turner Wikipedia

Question: The Greek goddess of forests and hills, childbirth, virginity, fertility, and the hunt, who is the twin sister of Apollo?
Answer: Artemis